Recycling Paint in California

A new law requires paint manufacturers to put a system in place to make recycling leftover paint easier for residential and commercial customers.

Last week California became the second state (after Oregon) to launch a mandatory state-wide paint recycling program, reports the U-T San Diego. The program will make paint recycling more convenient for the public by opening up drop-off sites at retail locations across the state. The industry-created non-profit organization called PaintCare, will administer the program, which will be paid for through a recovery fee that is based on container size and is applied to the purchase price of paint. The program will be especially useful to local governments that already recycle paint through hazardous waste programs because it will pay for their recycling process. PaintCare will use the funds provided by the 35 cent to $1.60 fee to cover the costs of transportation and processing of the leftover paint. Rhode Island and Connecticut have also passed legislation to create similar programs, but are still in the planning stages. Approximately 10 to 15 percent of the 700 million gallons of paint sold each year in the U.S. can be recycled.